Mickey Mouse, the well-known cartoon character invented by Walt Disney, enjoys international fame. From his modest 1928 beginnings, Mickey Mouse has become a household name, a popular icon and a slang term. More than just a cute Disney character with a funny voice, Mickey Mouse has helped change history.
History
In the late 1920s, Walt Disney came up with his ticket to fame. The idea of the Mickey Mouse character came to Disney on a train ride from New York to Los Angeles. Ub Lwerks, an animator in Disney's tiny studio, was the artist who designed the character. "Steamboat Willie" starring Mickey Mouse and featuring state-of-the-art synchronized sound was released in November of 1928. By 1932, the Mickey Mouse Club, a children's fan club honoring the popular character, had a membership of over one million. Among Mickey's greatest fans were King George V of England and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Significance
In 1998, the Copyright Term Extension Act extended copyright protection on all works created before 1978 by 20 years. This act is informally referred to as the "Mickey Mouse Protection Act" because of Disney Corporation's efforts to prevent the early Mickey Mouse cartoon features from entering the public domain.
Effects
Mickey Mouse has gained fame all over the world but not all of it was good. Banned by Germany and Fascist Italy in the 1930s, Mickey Mouse represents more than a warm and fuzzy American cartoon character to many. The term "Mickey Mouse" has been used as an adjective meaning low-quality or sloppy, as in, "It's a Mickey Mouse operation."
Features
Mickey Mouse's first words were "Hot dog!" and spoken in the 1929 feature "The Karnival Kid." Over the years, the voice of Mickey Mouse has been performed by Walt Disney himself, Jim McDonald and Wayne Allwine. Allwine's wife, Russi Taylor, became the voice of Minnie Mouse, Mickey's cohort, in the 1980s. Visually, Mickey has changed appearance in subtle ways. In 1939, he got pupils, new coloring and a new body shape. In the next decade, his tail disappeared. Mickey subsequently got his tail back, lost and regained his pants, gained and lost his eyebrows and had his ears' shape briefly changed. Mickey Mouse's ears are a big part of his fame. No matter from which perspective you're looking at him, his ears look the same--round and black.
Time Frame
On his 50th anniversary, Mickey Mouse earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was the first cartoon character to achieve this accolade.
Theories/Speculation
The character of Mickey Mouse is sometimes viewed as simply nostalgic. Other times, Mickey Mouse represents the generation that made the cartoon character famous--the Depression-era youth that won World War II and created the modern, corporate world. So to many, Mickey Mouse, once humble, mischievous and lovable, represents the all-powerful and omnipresent force of corporate America.
